In “The Tempest,” Shakespeare Uses Fantasy and Magic to Tell a Tale of Treachery and Love
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PAGE f01md1ae0522 C M Y K ideas 35 music movies 68 books tv 9 PAGE You’ve made them for yourself and friends. You’ve been on the Bo vs. Carrie SUNDAY receiving end. The picking and choosing, the thematic structur- MAY 22 ing, the creative rearrangements — there’s something liberating Our take on “American Idol.” 2005 and empowering about the whole mix tape process. These F4 SECTION days a mixed cassette tape is more likely to come in the form of a CD-R or computer play list. But the song remains the same: Revenge of “I am no mere consumer of pop culture … but also a producer the readers of it.” Those words appear in “Mix Tape,” a newly published & Your views on “Star Wars.” F & look at “the art of cassette culture.” We examine the book — AA EE and toss in a few bonus tracks — on the Ideas page, F3. F2 STORMY ROMANCE In “The Tempest,” Shakespeare uses fantasy and magic to tell a tale of treachery and love. Text by JUDITH NEWMARK, Graphic by JOHN D. TELFORD St. Louis Post-Dispatch “The Tempest” centers around Prospero, a former duke exiled to a remote island. Prospero creates a he Tempest” — William Shakespeare’s storm that shipwrecks his persecutors. majestic romance exploring love, loyalty, Here are the main characters and their freedom and, above all, the nature of human relationship to Prospero and each other: nature — comes to Forest Park as this year’s Miranda production from the Shakespeare Festival of Beautiful and St. Louis. “UnderT the direction of Russell Treyz, “The Tempest” opens innocent daughter of on Friday, May 27, and runs through Sunday, June 19. g p Performances start at 8 p.m. in the natural amphitheater just to with Mirandaanda.da Prospero. In love the east of Art Hill. stricken because he thinks with Ferdinand. “The Tempest” plays every night but Tuesdays. Preview his son is dead. Regrets performances begin at 8 on Wednesday and Thursday, May 25 conspiring with Antonio and 26. For more details call the festival office at 314-361-0101. against Prospero. Antonio This is the festival’s fifth production. During its first four Pushed brother seasons, the festival has drawn over 154,000 theater-goers from Prospero aside all over the area, and beyond. and seized Part of the appeal, of course, is the cost. Whether you already dukedom. enjoy Shakespeare — the birthright of every English speaker — or want to find out if you do, the festival makes things easy: It’s open to the public, free of charge. The convenient, pleasant setting is another plus. Starting at 6:30, there’s pre-show entertainment every night — music, Respects Loves lectures, children’s activities, a quick “green show” version of the play that makes the and loves story easy to follow. But many people come earlier than that (on a pretty weekend night, 4 p.m. Sebastian HHates,ates, Loves isn’t out of the question) to find a good spot Alonso’s enviesenvies for play-viewing. You can rent a chair to sit brother. Plots in, or bring a blanket to spread on the grass. to murder Many people bring picnics, or buy sandwiches Alonso and RRespectsespects on the spot. There’s lot’s to do — and then, seize the CCovetsovets Prospero of course, there’s “The Tempest.” Rightful Duke of Milan, throne. PPlotlot ttoo For all the info you need to make the most exiled to island by of your festival experience, check the Get Out murdermurder Antonio. Prospero has section of the Post-Dispatch on Thursday, May 26. Trinculo great magic powers. Alonso’s jester. Plots AAgreesgrees with Stefano toto helphelp to murder How it’s written Prospero. Most of “The Tempest,” like most of Shakespeare’s RResentsesents plays, is written in iambic pentameter. Stefano Alonso’s Many actors consider that beat their friend. butler. Plots “Iambic pentameter” simply describes a rhythmic with Trinculo Ariel pattern. Iambs are two syllables: an unaccented to murder A spirit of the syllable followed by a syllable that is stressed. For Prospero. air who example, “aLAS!” is an iambic word. So are agrees to help “inDEED,” “caRESS” and “aBLAZE.” It’s also easy Prospero if he to build an iambic foot from two words: “oh NO,” will set Ariel “my LORD,” “my LOVE.” Caliban free. Prospero’s island slave. “Pentameter” combines the Greek form for five The offspring of a witch, (“penta,” as in Pentagon) with an another word, he too conspires to kill also Greek, for measure (“metron”). P Put them together, and you have iambic pentameter: 10 beats to the line, with the stress on the even-numbered syllables. The result sounds something like a heartbeat: The plot in less than 60 seconds Prospero’s farewell 1 foot Some have suggested that many of Prospero’s lines da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM echo the real-life sentiments than the later works. “The Tempest” focuses on magic — which the Englishmen of Shakespeare’s day of Shakespeare as his writing 5 feet (pairs) of 10 syllables often called “art,” the same word that we use now to describe, among other things, the theater career was drawing to a close. on a magician so powerful and gifted that he can shape a world out of nothing at all. Is Prospero Shakespeare’s Shakespeare’s sonnets provide excellent examples: stand-in? Today scholars are apt to dismiss that “When, IN disGRACE with FORtune AND men’s EYES, interpretation as too I ALL aLONE beWEEP my OUTcast STATE…” romantic, too reductive. But His darling child, Miranda, loves her dad; Who never saw a man besides her dad. no one denies the haunting, elegiac tenor of The verse goes on from there, holding to its The spirit Ariel serves them with joy, The wizard tests his mettle with hard work, Prospero’s great speech in Act IV, after he has rhythm. Actors often say that’s no surprise. Many And Caliban, who’s rough and strong, works hard. But these young lovers satisfy all doubts. staged a beautiful show to entertain Ferdinand of them believe that iambic pentameter is the It’s really not so bad. And furthermore, They’re meant to be together, and we know and Miranda. Then Prospero compares the underlying rhythm of all English speech. A life of books suffices for this man. They’ll pledge their troth before the play is don “insubstantial pageant” he created to nothing If they are right, then Shakespeare and other In solitude and study, he’s become Still, Caliban and others — who are fueled less than life. He says that we, like actors, are playwrights who use the style give actors a A great magician. Prospero can make By strong wine and ambition — cook up plans. all the stuff of dreams. built-in boost. Iambic pentameter makes lines A storm break out upon the open sea. They plot to kill the wizard! Kill the king! easier to learn. It sends a fine ship crashing to his shore. But Ariel, a spirit who can fly, “Our revels now are ended. These our actors, Shakespeare, an actor himself, tells us what’s And who’s aboard? Alonso, Naples’ king! Hears what they say and takes the news back h As I foretold you, were all spirits and most important in each line; that’s where the Are melted into air, into thin air; stress falls. Shakespeare created some of the He helped the wizard’s brother seize his throne. Then Prospero has lots of work to do! And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, deepest stories and most complex characters Antonio – that brother – also sails, He gives his daughter and her new-found love The cloud-capped tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces, ever to appear on stage. But he welcomes us to And so does handsome Ferdinand, the young A party where good fairies sing and dance. The solemn temples, the great globe itself, them as a friend, couched in a familiar rhythm And noble-hearted son Alonso loves. He calls up magic dogs to scare the drunks, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, we’ve known all our lives. In fact, the plot Sebastian, King Al’s brother, sails as well, And he makes sure that King Alonso’s safe. And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, summary at right is written in iambic And he talks to Antonio a lot! It’s time for him to go back to Milan Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff pentameter. Read it and see if you can follow The king should pay attention; he’s not safe. And Ariel to fly off, wild and free. As dreams are made on, and our little life the natural rhythm. Some servants also manage to make land It’s time to have a wedding for a prince Is rounded with a sleep.” And save red wine along with their own lives! And princess who can scarcely understand The island must be vast, because these men How much a shipwreck changed their lives and Shakespeare probably didn’t write that speech Who all arrive at once, shipwrecked and lost, “O brave new world,” Miranda cries at last, to say goodbye to us. We only wish he had. Can’t find each other once they come to shore. “That has such people in’t.” And she’s right. Shakespeare’s plays Shakespeare’s plays follow a general pattern. In those written before 1600, histories or romantic comedies dominate. His plays after 1600 were often more complex.